Cassie Prather
Woodford County saw “a stark increase in influenza right after the new year,” according to Woodford County Public Health Director Cassie Prather. As of Jan. 3, the increase in cases had nearly tripled compared to what the county was experiencing before the holidays, she said.
An increase in flu cases after the holidays is not unexpected, “but not this much of an increase,” Prather told the Sun on Tuesday. A significant contributor in the large increase was that the strain of influenza mutated after the flu shots were formulated and in arms, she explained.
The new strain, subclade K, did not emerge in the Southern Hemisphere until later in its flu season, and that strain has now made its way to the United States, Prather said.
“And so this vaccine is a little bit of a miss,” she added, but getting a flu shot will still decrease severe illness and hospitalizations.
“So, it’s definitely important to get your flu shot,” Prather said. However, she said health officials are seeing a decrease in the number of people getting the vaccine compared to other years. Coupled with a less-effective vaccine, she said, “It’s a bad combination.”
Prather said the number of reported flu cases in Kentucky this season is almost 11,000. However, the state did not hit its peak until mid-February last year, “so we still have several weeks to go in this flu season.”
That means there is still time for people, especially the most vulnerable populations (children, the elderly, anyone who is immunocompromised, pregnant or has an underlying chronic condition), to get a flu shot to help protect them from developing severe symptoms, Prather said.
With the number of flu cases so high this year and children being most affected by the illness, local health officials are working closely with public school leaders to monitor the number of cases in the schools and keep everyone as healthy as possible, she said, noting COVID and RSV cases are also increasing, but not at the rate of influenza.
State health officials reported the first pediatric death from the flu this flu season on Dec. 30. The child had not received a flu vaccine. Flu season typically runs from October to May in Kentucky.
It’s also important to remember that old-fashioned health habits also help to prevent the transmission of flu and other respiratory illnesses, including washing hands often with soap and warm water, covering coughs and sneezes and staying at home from work or school when sick.
The Woodford County Health Department has free COVID and flu test kits, and vaccinations are still available, Prather said. Call 859-873-4541 for more information.
Copy editor Melissa Patrick contributed to this article.